Downtown Disney

Downtown Disney

File:Downtown Disney Logo.jpg
Location	Disneyland Resort, {{{location}}}
Operated by	The Walt Disney Company

Disneyland Resort
Disneyland Park Disney California Adventure
Resort hotels
Disneyland Hotel Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and Spa Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel
Downtown Disney District

Downtown Disney (officially the Downtown Disney District) is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment area, themed after a garden walk, located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, United States. It was constructed during the Disneyland Resort expansion which also included the construction of Disney's California Adventure, and opened in 2001.

Location and history

Downtown Disney District lies between the Disneyland Resort's two theme parks and its hotels. The district was built on space previously occupied by the original Disneyland parking lot and Disneyland Hotel, and includes a bridge over Disneyland Drive (formerly West Street, which was regraded to accommodate the bridge). It is smaller than its Florida namesake. Currently, no admission ticket is required for Downtown Disney District and parking is free for the first three hours (or first 5 hours with validation).

California's Downtown Disney District was designed more to attract "locals" and to encourage extended stays in the resort district.

One side of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, as well as a side of the Disneyland Hotel's Dreams Tower, face Downtown Disney, providing a view of the area.

Attractions

Downtown Disney District in Anaheim includes the following attractions:

Restaurants

• Catal
• Compass Books and Café
• ESPN Zone
• Häagen-Dazs
• House of Blues
• Jamba Juice
• La Brea Bakery Cafe
• Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria
  • Napolini
• Rainforest Cafe
• Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen
• Tortilla Jo's
  • Taqueria
• Uva Bar
• Wetzel's Pretzels

Retail

• Anne Geddes
• Basin
• Build-A-Bear Workshop
• Compass Books
• Disney's Pin Traders
• Disney Vault 28
• Fossil
• Kitson Kids
• Island Charters
• Marceline's Confectionery
• Quiksilver Boardriders Club Store
• Rainforest Retail Shopping Village
• Sephora
• Something Silver
• Sunglass Icon
• The LEGO Imagination Center
• Travelex
• World of Disney

Other attractions

• AMC Theatres Downtown Disney 12
• A Walt Disney Travel Company Information Center
• Live musicians usually selling their CDs

Disneyland Monorail System

The Disneyland Monorail System has a station in Downtown Disney, one of two stations along the line. Built as part of the Monorail's 1961 extension, the station was known as the Disneyland Hotel Monorail Station from 1961-2000. It underwent a major renovation and re-theming as part of the 1998-2001 Disneyland Resort expansion, and was re-designated the Downtown Disney Monorail Station in 2001. Admission to Disneyland Park is required to ride the Monorail.

When Downtown Disney first opened, theme park guests could purchase admission from a ticket booth adjacent to the Monorail station. However, the ticket booth was closed a few years later, leaving the Downtown Disney Monorail station turnstiles open only to guests who had already purchased admission elsewhere.

House of Blues controversy

Despite being owned by Live Nation, the control of the House of Blues in Anaheim has always been with The Walt Disney Company due to the building being located on Disney property. As such, control over who may perform there also rests with the Disney Company who require all scheduled bands pass an internal review process before they are allowed to play. This control has recently lead to controversy amongst metal and hardcore musicians who have been banned from playing there due to controversial lyrics, violent imagery, undesirable fans, or a provocative name, which has been cited as a cause for banning, even if none of the other controversies apply to a given band.

External links

• Downtown Disney District official site